Assessing the Threat to Your Computer

Assessing the Threat to Your Computer
Three primary factors contribute to your risk of catching
viruses:
The version of the Windows operating system you are
using Whether you have installed security patches on your
computer How many people use the computer
But also important are your Internet browsing habits:

•  Do you visit many different Web sites?
•  Do you visit sites that try to mess with your computer’s settings (and how would you know — and prevent —that)?

•  Do you have a tendency to open e-mail attachments from people you don’t know?
•  Do you visit Web sites cited in e-mail messages from strangers?

All these factors have a direct bearing on whether you are
prone to catching viruses.
Finally, the manner in which your computer is connected to
the Internet determines your susceptibility to viruses. If you
have a high-speed, “always-on” Internet connection, then virus
writers are actively trying to find you (or already have!). Dialup
connections are somewhat less risky — but not risk-free.
Which operating systemare you using?
Microsoft’s earlier versions of Windows had very little in the
way of security — they conformed to Microsoft’s earlier (and
flawed) premise that everyone in corporations and everyone on the Internet is nice and can be trusted and that no one willdo anything bad. Microsoft, by the way, has been humbled bythe experience and, as a result, the newer versions of Windows are far more secure than their predecessors.